By Bob Allen The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill Feb. 13 to allow houses of worship damaged by Hurricane Sandy to receive disaster aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, despite warnings by advocacy groups that the…
CBF, American Baptist leaders meet
By Bob Allen Staff leaders of two national moderate Baptist organizations met Feb. 5 in Atlanta to share ideas and discuss present and future partnerships. Pat Anderson, interim executive of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, said the 1,900-church group that separated…
God has never been truant
By Brent Walker At a time of national tragedy, we should all be praying, grieving and supporting those who suffered grievous loss. Then we must have a conversation, even a debate, followed by action to make sure what we saw…
Baptists divided on Florida amendment
By Jeff Brumley Florida Amendment 8 has pitted secular civil rights and education activists against religious conservatives in a rhetorical battle over the meaning of religious liberty. But the measure also has re-exposed the divide between Baptists over the separation…
Two Texas schools challenge Obamacare
By Ken Camp East Texas Baptist University and Houston Baptist University have filed the latest legal challenge to a preventative services mandate in the Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Obama in 2010. The two Texas Baptist schools…
Florida Baptists back ‘no-aid’ repeal
By Bob Allen The Florida Baptist Convention’s governing board voted Sept. 21 to support a proposed amendment to the state’s constitution that backers say protects religious freedom and opponents say would open the door for indirect public funding of sectarian…
New center to expand reach of BJC
By Robert Dilday The Baptist Joint Committee’s newly-renovated Center for Religious Liberty will be a “great leap forward” in advancing the agency’s mission to defend and extend religious liberty, its executive director said during an Oct. 1 reception to unveil…
BJC joins criticism of Bachmann
By Bob Allen The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and American Baptist Churches USA were among 42 religious and secular organizations that signed an open letter July 26 protesting Rep. Michelle Bachmann and other conservative lawmakers’ recent allegation that…
Faith leaders support Tenn. mosque
By Bob Allen More than 100 religious leaders signed an open letter July 18 voicing support for a Tennessee mosque asking a federal judge to permit use of its newly built building to celebrate Ramadan, which begins July 19. Brent…
Be true to religious liberty, Baptists urged
By Bob Allen As early defenders of religious liberty for all, Baptists today should celebrate religious pluralism even as Protestant privilege wanes in American culture, Baptist historian Bill Leonard said June 22 at a luncheon in Fort Worth, Texas, during…
Groups urge end to religious profiling
By Bob Allen Organizations including the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty urged a Senate panel probing racial profiling in America to include profiling of religious minorities in their study. Thirty-five groups wrote leaders of a Senate Committee on the…
It’s better to debate than downsize
By Zachary Bailes Southern Seminary President Albert Mohler predicts the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will split over the issue of homosexuality. Meanwhile, Kentucky Baptist Convention Executive Director Paul Chitwood announced incentives for employees to take early retirement or resign voluntarily as…